Old and rare Scottish tartans : $b with historical introduction and descriptive noticesStewart, Donald William
History
Old and rare Scottish tartans : $b with historical introduction and descriptive notices
Stewart, Donald William
Tartans -- Scotland
every day invented, manufactured, christened after particular names
and worn as genuine, a book of this kind containing authority so
invaluable must become extremely popular. At present a woful want
of knowledge on the subject prevails. Some of the clans are at this
moment ignorantly disputing for the right to the same tartans, which,
in fact, belongs to none of them, but are merely modern inventions for
clothing Regimental Highlanders. Hardly does one of the clans now wear
its tartan with its legitimate sets, stripes, and spranges perfect in
all their parts. The Messrs Hay have already instructed several of
the chiefs of clans who have had webs of their true tartans made; and
as one instance of this I may mention that Cluny Macpherson appeared
at the late fancy ball at Edinburgh in his beautiful and genuine
tartan as taken from the MS.: viz., “thre wyde stryppes of black
upon a white fielde, and throuchout the mydward black ain yellowe,
and upon the quite sett twa spranges of crimsoun of ten thredis;”
which excited universal admiration. Macleod has got a sketch of his
splendid tartan, “three black stryps upon ain yellow fylde,” &c. His
and MacLauchlane’s, both families of Norwegian origin, being the
only yellow fields. Comyn, who was quite ignorant of his tartan, has
now worn more than ever at the Caledonian balls in London his “twa
wyd strypis of greine upon ain scarlatt field,” &c.; and so of many
more whom the Messrs Hay have enlightened as being their particular
friends. A curious cor[r]oboration of the accuracy of the manuscript
(if cor[r]oboration had been wanting) occurred in the case of Lovat.
Talking of his tartan, he told the Messrs Hay that, although the
tartan he then wore was that which was always worn by the Clan Fraser
as their clan tartan, yet some old people of the name maintained
that there should be a white sprainge through it. The Messrs Hay, on
consulting the manuscript, found the tartan to be exactly as worn
by Lovat, with the addition of the white sprainge, and described
as follows:—“Frizzel hath fovr strippes upone ain scarlatt fyeld
quhairoff the outerward be of greine, and the innerward of blewe,
and upon the scarlatte sette ys ane sprainge of quhite of saxteine
threids,” &c., &c. I need not mention any more but that of Scott,
which is as follows:—“Scott hathe four stryppis upon ain fyeld,”
&c., &c. But to illustrate this perfectly to you I have begged of
my friend, Mr Charles Stuart Hay, to make for you the accompanying
colored drawing, on the back of which you have the different colors
accurately laid down of their proper relative breadths, and the
whole of the proper size for weaving, so that you have only to send
the sheet to Messrs Wilson, Carpet and Tartan manufacturers at
Bannockburn, who will make you any quantity of the tartan, soft, hard,
or delicately fine merino, as you may specify, and in every respect
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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